It’s no secret that I love video games. I have since the first time I saw Pitfall on the Atari 2600. Interacting inside another world is an amazing experience, one that I first tasted with the Choose Your Own Adventure books, which I ravenously devoured as a kid. And since those days of multi-pathed novels and 8-bit wanderings, the game scene has changed quite a bit, from VR to photo-realistic graphics that consistently blow my mind.

But it’s the storytelling that has really impressed me these past few years. I’m not just talking about the game scripts and dialogue that carry one through these digital worlds; the character design and world building have become monolithic, the orchestral scores and sound design on par with the best Hollywood films. It’s a medium that has only recently begun to get the credit it deserves and I think from here on out it will become more powerful and desirable than any m0tion picture.

So to begin, I’ll name just a few of the games that have really blown my hair back.

Elder Scrolls Oblivion and Skyrim – To step into the shoes of a character and create him or her from the ground up is a powerful thing. Combine that with masterful writing in an enormous game world filled with hours of meticulously crafted lore, and you have something unbelievably special. Where else can I become a thief or assassin, or venture into the depths of darkness to become a wandering vampire preying on whoever crosses my path? These games carry the same weight as a great film or novel, accept you are now writing the tale, guiding and working toward an outcome that is yet unknown.

The Hitman series – This was and is my all time favorite game series. You’re given almost no guidance as to how to take down your targets, and it’s that freedom which spawns numerous moments of pure adrenaline. Drop in some amazing ending moments, and you’re hooked into the moment, lock, stock and barrel.

Fallout 3+4 – Like Oblivion and Skyrim, this is a game that is so large and layered, you could spend weeks simply roaming the landscape uncovering the countless story paths speckled throughout. Wonderful writing coupled with amazingly dark and dreary atmosphere make for one of the most in-depth and engrossing game experience I’ve ever had.

Battle Field 1 – This is probably the most realistic, intense first-person shooter I’ve ever played. Want to be in Saving Private Ryan? Well here you go. I can’t remember the last time I sat on the edge of my seat while playing a game. The battles are intense and the detail is outstanding. A truly interactive experience that really puts you in the shoes of the soldier.

Recently, I played through the PS4 title, Mad Max, beginning to end. A rare thing I sadly confess. But let me say, it was one of the most exciting experiences I’ve had in a video game in quite a while. Not only did the designers and writers build atop the world created in the George Miller films, but they let, me, the player, roam the wasteland as I saw fit. And what a fucking ride. Also, they included a little tool within the game to capture and create photographs of your adventures. Below are a few of my favorites, which my boys and I took while playing.

Mad MaxMad Max

Mad Max_20170416170141Mad MaxMad Max

In the future, perhaps we’ll have control over the films we watch, or perhaps even the books we read. I can’t wait to see. But for now, the men and women working in the game industry definitely deserve some major credit for the outstanding and creative work they’ve been doing these past 30 years.

-Chris S

8/10/17

]]>https://sendrosrealm.wordpress.com/2017/08/10/adventures-in-the-digital-wastelands-video-games-photos-and-rust/feed/0sendrodregBand-Aids, beatings and new roads to travel.https://sendrosrealm.wordpress.com/2016/07/28/band-aids-beatings-and-new-roads-to-travel/
https://sendrosrealm.wordpress.com/2016/07/28/band-aids-beatings-and-new-roads-to-travel/#respondThu, 28 Jul 2016 17:17:09 +0000http://sendrosrealm.wordpress.com/?p=220]]>Normally publishing your first book is a time to celebrate, a time to look at oneself and breathe a sigh of satisfied relief, if just for a moment. But even after hiring an editor and cleansing Dregs of the Culver Waste of its many flubs, even after re-publishing the new addition and completing the first draft of my next work, Haliden’s Fire, I feel little relief in sight. I guess that’s what keeps me going as a writer, though. The day I sit back with an air of self-satisfaction is the day I die as a creative individual. It sucks, but it’s the way of it. Standing on the edge of a cliff and staring down with self-loathing and anxiety: the fuel that pumps my engines. But miraculously, in the end, it’s that same fear that gets the work done. It’s the driving force that keep me exploring my mind and hunting for the next tale.

I’m about to step away from Dregs for a time – a work that has been my creative life for almost seven years – and embark on my most personal novel to date. I’m scared as hell to go through the entire gut-wrenching process again. But I’m also excited as hell. Haliden’s Fire is my new passion, my new lover and I’m still well into that blessed honeymoon phase. I can’t wait to share it with someone, to get that first bit of feedback, negative or positive. It’s been like a movie rolling over and over in my head, a tale so exciting and personally gut-wrenching that I have to share it with the world.

But it takes time to get there, so much time. And so much self-doubt and fear. You worry if people will like it, if it will resonate the same with them as it has you. After all, it’s all about the reader’s experience, the reader’s enjoyment. As a write, I don’t really care about anything else. I hold no pretensions regarding my work or myself as an individual; I write for you, the reader, my reader. So I put down the champaign glass and flatten my smile. There’s no time to pat myself on the back. It’s time to keep banging away at this keyboard. Time to spit this new tale out into a world and hope someone gives a shit about it. Hopefully by year’s end, Haliden’s Fire will be ready for its maiden voyage. Until then, come join me and stare into the abyss. You never know what kind of tale you might find in that lonely, black expanse.

]]>https://sendrosrealm.wordpress.com/2016/07/28/band-aids-beatings-and-new-roads-to-travel/feed/0sendrodregEdge-of-the-Cliff-608x400Where to write when the world hates you writing.https://sendrosrealm.wordpress.com/2016/03/22/where-to-write-when-the-world-hates-you-writing/
https://sendrosrealm.wordpress.com/2016/03/22/where-to-write-when-the-world-hates-you-writing/#respondTue, 22 Mar 2016 01:16:52 +0000http://sendrosrealm.wordpress.com/?p=176]]>

I’ve been writing for the past 2 years on my iPhone. That’s right. The first draft of my upcoming novel will have been entirely crafted on a screen no larger than my cheek. Why is this important? It’s not. What is important is it allowed me to find my groove, to find the right atmosphere to work in. And most importantly, it allowed me to be creative.

To step back, I wrote my first novel, Dregs of the Culver Waste, on a crappy laptop in my underwear, entirely at night, entirely alone.

And you know what… it sucked.

Not the novel – at least I don’t think so – but being alone. Being alone all the time, no sun, no life, no energy. And worst of all… the hemroids. Christ, if there’s ever a draw back to being a writer, it’s that.

But isn’t that the process of a lonely writer? Find a dark cave and tap away in solitary confinement until the book is done?

Hell no.

It took me 16 years to figure that out. And do you know why I went wrong for so long?

Because I listened to other people.

If there’s one thing I’ve learned in my 38 years, it’s to be very selective when taking advice. Experiment with your own ideas and desires before you stick yourself in a rut of someone else’s design.

I can’t tell you how many times I went against the grain in my other career as a videographer/editor and came out on top.

So my advice to you is simple: ignore my advice. Do it you’re own way and see what happens first. If you’re a writer, write anywhere and everywhere until you find your groove. You dig typing in strip clubs? Awesome. It’ll be an expensive process, but if it works, hats off to you. Gas station bathroom? It’s free, so why not? Apple Watch? Marble tablet? A two hundred year old antique typewriter? Speak and Spell? Who really cares in the end. The romance of writing lies in the story, not the device upon which it was written. As long as the book gets done, work anywhere and on anything.

I’m free falling from 10,000 feet even as we speak. That’s right. And in a few minutes I’ll be sitting in the back row of some flop house carving the final draft of my next novel into a cigarette-burned tabletop.

As long as it gets the job done, who cares where or when you write, or on what device.

Just pick your own damn poison, wherever the hell you may be, and write me an awesome story.

]]>https://sendrosrealm.wordpress.com/2016/03/22/where-to-write-when-the-world-hates-you-writing/feed/0sendrodregimageDregs Sale!!!!https://sendrosrealm.wordpress.com/2016/02/20/dregs-sale/
https://sendrosrealm.wordpress.com/2016/02/20/dregs-sale/#respondSat, 20 Feb 2016 19:57:51 +0000http://sendrosrealm.wordpress.com/?p=165]]>Hi guys! I just figured I’d reach out and let all of my visitors know that Dregs of the Culver Waste – Sand and Scrap will be available on Amazon.com for $0.99 for the next couple of days. So check it out and strap in for the ride. I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised. Enjoy and happy reading!

]]>https://sendrosrealm.wordpress.com/2016/02/20/dregs-sale/feed/0sendrodregcropped-sand-and-scrap-clean-image.jpgSo What’s Next?https://sendrosrealm.wordpress.com/2016/02/08/so-whats-next/
https://sendrosrealm.wordpress.com/2016/02/08/so-whats-next/#respondMon, 08 Feb 2016 15:00:22 +0000http://sendrosrealm.wordpress.com/?p=95]]>When I began writing my first novel, Dregs of the Culver Waste – Sand and Scrap, I never intended for it to be more than one novel. But as the years went by and my keystrokes grew longer, I soon realized I had a behemoth on my hands. A fat, ungainly beast that no editor or agent would ever give the time of day to.

So I cut the sucker in half. I found the breaking point, the cliffhanger, and I cleaved the son of a bitch right down the center. Now I had two novels, each running around 350-400 pages long. Quite a bit for an unknown such as myself.

But two is better than one, right? Or so I thought. Little did I know another character named Haliden Stroke would rise from the toxic ashes of the wastelands and lure me away into a completely new, stand-alone novel. A novel which takes place on an entitely new continent with a completely new set of characters.

It was the first time something like that happened to me; a creative spark so hot I couldn’t put it out. I’ll admit, my life was falling apart at the time I began it, and something about this new character Haliden ignited a fire inside my gut. A fire so hot and welcome I could neither run from it nor ignore. He was me, running from the fire, racing for one last chance at redemption. And I had to tell his tale.

So here I am, about to finish a first draft on my next work, a little novel entitled Haliden’s Fire. It’s set in the same world as Dregs of the Culver Waste, albeit on a different continent and with a completely new set of vagabonds and scoundrels. I’ll release more as time passes, as drafts take shape and the book as a whole comes together. For now, though, it will remain in the shadows, watching and absorbing any new inspirations that might venture near.

Now I know some people might say “Chris… you should have finished the sequel to Dregs first.” But life just didn’t work out that way for me. My muse pulled me in a new direction, and now, as I wait to see how Dregs fares with you, my readers, I prepare to finish a new work that will hopefully stand on its own. It’s a strange decision to make as an author, to throw a break in a such a new series. But then again, nothing has ever been normal about my life.

So even though I cleaved Dregs of the Culver Waste in two and embarked on a completely new journey, the sequel is already more than half written, awaiting a first draft and then the hair-pulling months of rewrites that will naturally occur.

If you dig Sand and Scrap and are yearning for a bit more, never fear… a sequel is in the works. But before it comes to pass, a little story entitled Haliden’s Fire will have to wet your whistle first.

Inspiration is strange sometimes. It has a mind of its own, for better or worse, and drives us in all sorts of strange directions. It’s like the saying ‘Life is what happens while you’re busy making plans.’

Sometimes the same can be said for a story, too.

]]>https://sendrosrealm.wordpress.com/2016/02/08/so-whats-next/feed/020130623-256928-chopping-whole-hog-bbqsendrodreg20130623-256928-chopping-whole-hog-bbqThe long, dark road to the Culverhttps://sendrosrealm.wordpress.com/2016/01/27/the-long-dark-road-to-the-culver/
https://sendrosrealm.wordpress.com/2016/01/27/the-long-dark-road-to-the-culver/#commentsWed, 27 Jan 2016 20:34:28 +0000http://sendrosrealm.wordpress.com/?p=11]]>An idea. It comes as a spark, a flicker, a tiny image that somehow gestates into an inferno, engulfing your life and imagination until it can’t be held back anymore.

Well, at least that’s how it happened for me.

I put pen to page – or in my case, finger to phone (yes, I write on my iPhone now) and it begins. I know where I’m going, but rarely do I know how to get there. That’s the thrill, though, the rush which keeps me going whenever I think I’m about to crash and burn. And that was exactly how Dregs of the Culver Waste was born: in the fiery wreckage of a war. But it was a war that never needed to be fought.

The dark journey began sometime back in 2005. It was my third attempt at a novel and first serious fantasy tale. I was a new writer, hungry, invigorated and inspired. I had finally found my genre and it had found me. But life was getting in the way; I was in my mid twenties, a new father, a homeowner, an immature, selfish fool. I thought the world was against me, it’s claws prying at the armor of my creativity and youth. And perhaps it was. But it’s the great inevitability of life, the cost of living, of being. Either adapt or die. But for whatever reasons, I choose death.

Not in the literal sense, but I sold a piece of myself to the devil. I neglected family and business, I pulled into my world for weeks at a time, hoping to never leave. I was holding onto the fire of youth, me versus the world and I refused to back down.

And you know what? I was a fucking fool.

The world was there for the taking; every pitfall, every misery a new chapter to pen, an inspiration to draw from. What I thought were roadblocks were really lessons to learn from, warts and all. But I fought it and eventually lost. A piece of my mind, my sanity, my relationship with my wife. I sacrificed too much for too little. And now that the war is over, now that I’ve won at all costs, I look back and wonder. Could I have found the Culver any other way?

I don’t think so. Sometimes we’re only given one road to travel, one beacon in the night for which to follow. I wish mine had lead me down a different path, toward safer waters free of the things that go bump in the night. But my path was through hell, the Culver itself, flame and fire, sand and scrap. There was no choice in the matter.

So what’s my point here? you say.

Write your story, but don’t let it write you. The demons around us are meant to be plucked and used as our armor. Face life and let it flow around you. Don’t run. Don’t hide. It’s coming, whether you want it or not. Use every cut, every ailment, every nervous twitch and anxious afternoon as the building blocks of your work. Creativity can exist in a vacumme, but you have to learn how to navigate it. Some things are better now for me, somethings not so much. I took the hard road to learn my craft, and now this is the hand I have to work with. It wasn’t my choice and I would do things differently now. But here I am, the war won. The book is done and now I’m standing amongst the wreckage, older, wiser and ready to do it the right way now.

Follow your fire, but don’t lose yourself to the flames.

That’s my advice to any authors who read this.

]]>https://sendrosrealm.wordpress.com/2016/01/27/the-long-dark-road-to-the-culver/feed/1FiresendrodregLocked and Loadedhttps://sendrosrealm.wordpress.com/2015/10/27/locked-and-loaded/
https://sendrosrealm.wordpress.com/2015/10/27/locked-and-loaded/#respondTue, 27 Oct 2015 02:50:15 +0000http://sendrosrealm.wordpress.com/?p=29]]> Ten fucking years. A long time for a novel to come to fruition. Can you imagine that? God knows how many life changes have occurred since I first opened that new Word doc on my ancient Micron PC back in 2005. At the time I was 30, immature, still recovering from an eight year battle with cripping OCD and lost. Four years out from film school and I still wasn’t Oliver Stone. Things were changing, though; my creative juices no longer had patience for red tape and budget constraints; I needed immediate satisfaction; I couldn’t spend another four years in pre-production on a film; I didn’t have thousands of dollars for all the shit that goes into a film. I just wanted to get back to the story. My story. No rules, no boundaries.

So I divorced film and moved in with my first true love: prose. We were instant soul mates, connected on every level. We played, we fucked and soon had our first child together: “Into the Mountains.” A horror novel. 500 pages of rookie errors and clumsy prose. But I finished it and nievely loved it. I found a process, mined some gems, uncovered some horrors. My muse was a tough nut to crack; she played hard to get for years, flirting with me and toying with my heart and soul.

But when I finally caught up to her, she opened her heart for me and I never looked back.

So here we are at long last. One final draft to go. Mostly adjustments and formatting for Kindle, peppered with some hair pulling and hours of self doubt and dismay. It’s exhausting. But I’m here, limping over that finish line. December’s the deadline I set.

I… must… finish… this… now.

]]>https://sendrosrealm.wordpress.com/2015/10/27/locked-and-loaded/feed/0sendrodreghammer-to-computerAnother life, another day, another dollarhttps://sendrosrealm.wordpress.com/2015/10/24/another-life-another-day-another-dollar/
https://sendrosrealm.wordpress.com/2015/10/24/another-life-another-day-another-dollar/#respondSat, 24 Oct 2015 16:43:39 +0000http://sendrosrealm.wordpress.com/?p=20]]>Manhattan, 12:30pm. I’m waiting for it to begin. My second life. Nothing exceptional. Just another day behind the lense. Like most writers, I have a real job. Videographer. As I said, nothing exceptional. I watch people all day and capture their most important moments. I’ve been at it for 17 years and it pays the bills. Built my own company from the ground up at one of the worst financial times in the country. It’s still not enough, though. Especially when you live in Northern New Jersey and are getting ready to buy a house at the age of 38. But I’m damn good at it. Occasionally it gets the juices flowing, especially when I’m back home editing. But it will never be like writing.

So here I am and this is reality. Another day in the trenches. In a few minutes I’ll be standing in front of a room full of bored people with a strange contraption mounted to my body. Deep down I think they’re all just hoping that I’ll trip and fall or get yelled at by the priest. After all, I’m the hated man, the video guy that people will do anything to avoid. That’s fine, though; I’ve gotten used to being invisible and in the background. I guess that’s what helps me except the fact that even successful writers probably rarely get noticed.

It’s good to have another life, though. A world in which you can function as a completely different individual and operate on a completely different level. There’s days I wish I had more of the human interaction every day corporate America has. Perhaps being a straphanger would add some seasoning to my life.

But here we are, ready to go. It’s 12:41pm now and I’m about to jump into my second skin. Batteries are charged, memory cards are wiped, caffeine’s coursing through my sluggish body.

Another day in the life of a broke, budding writer.

]]>https://sendrosrealm.wordpress.com/2015/10/24/another-life-another-day-another-dollar/feed/0sendrodregFirst and Foremosthttps://sendrosrealm.wordpress.com/2015/10/23/first-and-foremost/
https://sendrosrealm.wordpress.com/2015/10/23/first-and-foremost/#respondFri, 23 Oct 2015 20:43:17 +0000http://sendrosrealm.wordpress.com/?p=5]]>The internet is a sticky place. Every day we feel its pull, its intoxication. It’s maddening sometimes. I pull my hair out whenever I think of all the ways I need to connect and communicate nowadays. You write a book, build a site, a blog, a twitter feed, facebook. Christ, it’s both wonderful and awful. And for a new writer searching for an audience, it’s incredibly daunting.

Here I stand, though. Alone on my digital ice chunk, adrift in a sea filled with predators and ports beyond count. How do I get heard? How do I keep it all straight? How do I entice you to give a shit about anything I have to say?

I’ll be working on it. Books, movies, music… they’re what we are and what we like. Luckily I’ve made a movie and written a book. Soon enough, I’ll begin sharing them with you. That is, if you care. I made both out of love and I’m giving them away freely. I hope you’ll check them out and maybe keep an eye on my work. There will be a hell of a lot more to come.